We've had a bit of a readership spike today, specifically for the post called Jeremy Bowen's Gaza notebook: "I saw no evidence of Hamas using Palestinians as human shields", which quoted the BBC's Middle East Editor saying just that in a New Statesman article.
This great interest has been generated by a rumour on social media:
BBC removed Jeremy Bowen from #Gaza for saying he had not seen any evidence of #Hamas using civilians as humanshields pic.twitter.com/ynoKwQtbXG
— Raajje News (@raajjenews) August 3, 2014
Soon the likes of Lauren Booth and Tariq Ramadan were tweeting their indignation at the BBC 'removal' of their hero from Gaza:
@BBC send jeremy Bowen back to Gaza. Let him report!“@TariqRamadan: @BBCNews HAS REMOVED JEREMY BOWEN FROM #GAZA ... pic.twitter.com/DpoDIuevgL”
— Lauren Booth (@LaurenBoothUK) August 4, 2014
Jonathan Munro, the BBC's Head of Newsgathering, had to take to Twitter himself to squash the rumour:
Nonsense that @BowenBBC left Gaza under Israeli pressure. After Syria, Iraq, Israel & Gaza he's on holiday, returning to Mid East v soon.
— Jonathan Munro (@jonathancmunro) August 4, 2014
...something Jeremy Bowen informed a fellow Tweeter last Friday:
@RAFx103 because I'm on holiday
— Jeremy Bowen (@BowenBBC) August 1, 2014
So, now, relax Lauren, you man will soon be back in action!
